Back to work, and back to talking about energy, specifically gasoline prices.

Listening to the political rhetoric surrounding the most recent spike in gasoline prices we are struck by the general economic illiteracy involved. If our national goal is to wean ourselves off of foreign oil aren't higher prices a necessary evil? Kevin Hassett at Bloomberg.com writes about the transformative effect higher prices (via taxes) could have on domestic consumption.

Apparently the boom in oil (and oil sands) is having a deleterious effect on non-oil business in Alberta according to Patrick Brethour at the Globe and Mail.

We had no idea that Osaka had a securities exchange let alone that it was a subject of takeover speculation.

Adam Warner at the Daily Options Report doesn't see the International Securities Exchange (ISE) changing the equity business the way they did the options business.

Ticker Sense charts recent instances of bears outnumbering buls in the AAII survey.

Barry Ritholtz at TheStreet.com provides investors with a check list on how to sort through the ever growing list of stock tips.

Jonathan Shazar at Institutional Investor notes the surprising lack of interest in ETFs based on socially responsible investing.

Amanda Cantrell at CNNMoney.com reports on the growing "Greater China" hedge fund sector.

The Stalwart wonders whether Andy Kessler in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal isn't prone to a little "it's different this time"-itis.

Crossing Wall Street weighs in on the "penny problem."

The Economist notes a "gathering doom" over the Doha round of trade talks.

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